The Sunday Junkie: June 9 edition

In a week that started with headlines involving former UFC standouts like Quinton Jackson, Jon Fitch and Jacob Volkmann taking their former employer to task, it ended with a whole bunch of people tapping.

The Sunday Junkie, MMAjunkie.com’s weekly reader-feedback feature, got lots of entries about the aforementioned fighters, as well as the glut of submissions on Saturday’s UFC on FUEL TV 10 card.

But this week’s winner, “SheepOverflow,” of Santa Ana, Calif., wants to see MMA announcers step up their game when it comes to accuracy in fighter name pronunciation. Offering up more than 25 different ways to pronounce “Magalhaes” is effort worth the read.

For the winning entry, “SheepOverflow” wins a free one-year subscription to “Fighters Only” magazine, the world’s leading MMA and lifestyle magazine.

Want to submit to next week’s edition of The Sunday Junkie? Scroll to the bottom of the page for instructions.

Also, as a reminder, please be sure to include your hometown and stick within the 150-word limit (and include your submission in the body of an email, not in an attachment). Many quality submissions this week didn’t meet those minimum guidelines and couldn’t be considered for publication.

“Magalhaes.” There’s only a handful of them (Magalhaeses? Magalhi? A flock of Magas?) fighting. Can someone please sit down with MMA announcers on this? It’s pretty bad when you hear at least four different pronunciations by the same announcers in the same event during the same fight, but now that I’m on a first-name-basis with these fighters, purely to avoid awkwardly saying their last name and simultaneously questioning myself, it would be nice to have some consistency.

Any fighter flirting with the age of 40 is certainly opening themselves up to the scrutiny of Dana White (unless you’re Anderson Silva). But after Saturday’s beating at the hands of someone only two years younger, it does beg the question: What’s next for “Big Nog”? Without a doubt, Big Nog has been in some of the most memorable fights anyone can recall. So is it time for him to hang up the rash guard? White has said on many occasions that Brazil is the mecca of MMA, so who better to represent the UFC brand in South America than the future Hall of Famer himself, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria? After all, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes and now Forest Griffin have jobs within the promotion, right? I think Big Nog would be a very credible Brazilian connection for the UFC machine. But is he ready?

Joe Winfield
Colorado Springs, Colo.

CORMIER VS. WERDUM IS THE FIGHT THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN NEXT

By the time I started writing this article, we’d only been four fights into the card. That put a shadow of a doubt in my mind that this would be the most submission-rich fight card in the history of the UFC and a record-setting moment. By the time Fabricio Werdum finished tapping the legendary “Big Nog” in the second round, I proved myself and UFC fans correct. Bottom line : UFC, don’t waste our time with Cormier (UFC No. 2) vs. Nelson (UFC No. 5). As a “final heavyweight bout” for DC, we want Cormier to go in/out on his shield versus a more than worthy opponent. If Werdum is unable to defeat Cormier, then hands down, Dos Santos (UFC No. 1) vs. Velasquez (champion) deserves to happen immediately.

Todd “Lightning Don” Williams Sr.
Manassas, Va.

WHY WERDUM IS “WER-DOOMED”

Although an amazing night of fights, I’m left in a state of concern for the heavyweight division. While I applaud Werdum and his win over Nogueira, there is a Grand Canyon-sized chasm separating him from the division’s No. 1 and No. 2 guys. The talk was that Werdum might possibly be next in line facing the winner of Velasquez vs. Dos Santos. Throughout this fight, it was mentioned that Werdum seems uncomfortable moving backward, a position he undoubtedly will be put in against either of the top two guys. Werdum’s cardio seemed to wane in Round 2, and we know Dos Santos can go five and Cain has a hybrid for a gas tank. The truth is, the heavyweight division is in need of perhaps a tournament or something else to make this division exciting because the top two fighters have this division on lock for the foreseeable future.

Joshua Garriott
Westerville, Ohio

WHY ISN’T MARKES’ CAR ACCIDENT GETTING MORE ATTENTION?

The Ronny Markes incident should be getting a bit more play. We had a main-card UFC fighter injured in a car accident during weight cutting because he couldn’t find a hotel or facility with hot water? Really? The UFC is very fortunate Markes was not more seriously hurt. After recalling that the last Brazil card was in a fairly remote area, I looked up the population of Fortaleza: 3.5 million. That’s more than Chicago! The fighter hotels in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. are usually nice – just below the highest end. Was Fortaleza, despite its size and sure to be enthusiastic fan base, a good and ready choice? The Brazil market is booming and always has great fans, but I hope other new markets with this opportunity are more ready for their UFC closeup.

Michael Marciano
East Providence, R.I.

DOES FABER VS. ALCANTARA MAKE SENSE?

I’m having a hard time figuring out the recently announced bout between Urijah Faber and Yuri Alcantara. After Faber’s convincing wins over Menjivar and Jorgensen, he seemed to be No. 3 or 4 in the division, No. 1 or 2 if you don’t count the injured guys. But all of a sudden, he’s in the middle of a card with no title fights, matched up with a fighter who barely cracks the top 10 on most rankings. Maybe it’s a smart move for Urijah. The bantamweight division has more question marks than Jim Carrey’s bodysuit from “Batman: Forever.” So, take a couple comfortable fights, put up some wins and wait for the title picture to clear up. But then he runs the risk of being one of those “expensive guys” who’s not getting title shots, and we all know how that works out. Just ask Jon Fitch.

Andrew Piccininni
Toronto

ROY, CHAEL, LYOTO, GLOVER, VITOR AND TRT

Roy Nelson is crushing people to sleep – reminds me of Kung Fu Panda, but deserves better opponents. Second, Chael Sonnen is a loudmouth, brash-talking fighter. He isn’t massively concerned for his record. If there’s a fight, he will take it – this is exactly why we love watching him fight, and also the reason he gets fights ahead of people. But this should be the attitude of all true fighters. Lyoto, out of the way for Glover. Jones (true great) vs. Glover (true contender) would be epic. Finally, Vitor. Medical studies show that once anabolic steroids have been taken, testosterone levels drop by roughly 1 percent a year from the age of 30. TRT is now being used to compensate for a condition of his own making. His loophole Brazil fights which allow his TRT aside, the symptoms of his higher testosterone levels are clear. Regardless, I would love to see Vitor try do the same (three knockouts in a row) to Gegard Mousasi in or outside of Brazil. It’s time for fighters to be fighters.

Richard Hastie
Johannesburg, South Africa

A WIN-WIN FOR “RAMPAGE” AND BELLATOR

The newly signed free agent Quinton Jackson to Bellator is dollar signs for both fighter and promotion. The timing is perfect. Bellator, still with a sour taste in their mouth over the whole Eddie Alvarez fiasco, needed something big to move in the right direction. With light heavyweights such as Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal, Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko, Seth “The Silverback” Petruzelli, and Babalu Sobral, with countless other UFC washouts or wannabes, Jackson will have no problem being successful and entertaining. Jackson wanted a place where he would be entertaining, be a perennial contender for the championship, and be able to pursue any other endeavor that comes to his mind. Bellator is that place. Bellator picked up one of the most famous MMA fighters to ever grace the ring in Jackson. A total win-win, and I look forward to Rampage being Rampage again.

B.J. Penn has had a lustrous career and will go down as one of the best UFC/MMA fighters of all time. I think we all agree he should retire or even should have retired after the Hughes 3 fight. If anything, he should have just stayed at lightweight, where he looks to return. That being the case, there is only one fight out there that makes sense for him right now. Give Takanori Gomi the rematch he has been waiting for. Gomi and Penn fought earlier in both of their careers in an awesome fight. Penn ended up choking out “The Fireball Kid” in the third round in a back-and-forth battle. Penn isn’t going to make another run at the belt, so there is no point in giving him a Gilbert Melendez or a Gray Maynard when there is a guy in Gomi that fits the bill perfectly for the Hawaiian.

Ben McPhee
Prescott Valley, Ariz.

TOO MANY TEARS FROM “RAMPAGE,” FITCH AND VOLKMANN

Volkmann, Rampage and Fitch, I don’t get it. You want better pay, yet you don’t perform. That would be like me asking for a raise as I’m typing this story at work instead of, you know, working. I think Jon Fitch will always be the greatest welterweight fighter to never hold a UFC belt, though his tears may ruin his legacy. “A hostile work environment.” You are a fighter. Your co-workers punch you in the face, but Dana’s harsh words hurt your feelings. Rampage, you lost three fights in a row and you are complaining that you don’t make as much as you used to. Could it be the fact that you were losing to top competition? Could it be that your star has burned out? “Christmas” is a guy who called out Barack Obama, finished one fight in the UFC and was finished in three. Enough said.

Michael Dyke
Tampa, Fla.

BELLATOR NEEDS TO LEARN TO LET GO

Over the last several years, it’s been obvious that Quinton Jackson no longer cares to be a part of the UFC. When his contract with the UFC was fulfilled this past January, Rampage was finally free. After months of hearing offers, Rampage found a home with Bellator. What’s great is the UFC didn’t stop Rampage from leaving because they knew he wasn’t happy. My question, however is, if the UFC can let one of their biggest stars go, why can’t Bellator do the same? Eddie Alvarez for months has voiced his distaste about being a part of Bellator. I understand that losing Alvarez would be a huge blow to Bellator, but the fact is he doesn’t want to be a part of Bellator anymore. Bellator needs to learn that sometimes it has to let people go because at the end of the day you don’t benefit anyone when you stop people from being happy.

Quinton Garrett Ross
Kearney, Neb.

BJJ SUPERIORITY ON DISPLAY AT UFC ON FUEL TV 10

The superiority of Brazilian jiu-jitsu was in full effect at last night’s FUEL TV event. The effectiveness was put on display early and set the trend for the entire card. The MMA world understands that it’s essential for a fighter to process a certain level of expertise when the fight hits the mat or they’re to subject a potential “Submission of the Night” bonus for their opponent. It’s obvious that BJJ needs to be a factor in game planning and training on a regular basis if a fighter wants to challenge for any belt, regardless of division.

Jonny Blankenship
Kermit, Texas

SOME THOUGHTS ON UFC NAMING CONVENTIONS

Dear Dana White:

Despite best efforts, you have some lingering issues, and I humbly offer these thoughts in solution. 1. Instead of “UFC on FOX Sports 1 19″ and the like, you just call them UFC FOX Fight Nights, and all the odd-numbered events are on FOX Sports 1 and the evens are on FOX Sports 2. Problem solved in a logical format. Resurrect/maintain one brand you’ve built and all that good stuff. 2. Injuries from training too hard, drastic weight cuts/misses, etc. You are tired of them. So change the game. Boxing allows same-day weigh-ins – make it part of the walkouts if not upon arrival at venue. The most dominant champs fight very near their walk-around weight, and perhaps your fighters would be healthier and wouldn’t risk adding fake muscle, if they had to then fight at their natural body weight.

Much love,
B

Brandon Findlay

GIVE ROY NELSON SOME TOP COMPETITION

I cannot help to feel bad for Roy Nelson because he does not get the respect he deserves in the UFC. Recently, Dana White stated that if Nelson would beat a top five opponent then he may get a title shot. In my opinion, yes I do feel he should get a top five opponent, but the UFC is reluctant to give him one, mainly due to his physique and appearance. This month, he will face another opponent on the lower rankings, Stipe Miocic, and win or lose, it will not put him any step closer to contention. All of Nelson’s UFC wins have come by KO/TKO, and all of his past 10 wins in and out of the octagon are by KO/TKO. His losses in the UFC are by decision. Which other heavyweight can claim those stats? It would be great to see him fight Werdum, Hunt, Silva or even Overeem. The UFC is losing a lot of credibility on the way it handles who is a top contender. I understand that certain fighters are marketable, but this is a sport like any sport that follows rankings, not an entertainment show.

Ray Garza
Laredo, Texas

UFC 162 LOOKING LIKE THE BEST CARD OF THE YEAR

UFC 162, matches 1-12, is the best card I have ever seen on paper. I’ll do my best to hit the highlights quickly. Let’s start from the bottom. Edson Barboza vs. Rafaello Oliveira. Can someone say possible “Fight of the Night?” We have Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Dave Herman, Roger Gracie vs. Tim Kennedy, Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver, and yes the list does go on. My other possible “Fight of the Night” (but let’s be real, any of these fights could be) Chan Sung Jung vs. Ricardo Lamas. We started from the bottom, now we’re here: Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman. One of two things will happen, each spectacular and unbelievable. “The Spider” giving us some highlight Kung Fu Steven Seagal moves, or (more unlikely) Silva being dethroned by a respectable rising star in Chris Weidman. Great night of fights, and great matchups. I dare say possiblity of being the greatest card in UFC history. We will find out.

Otis Edgecomb
Yuma, Ariz.

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As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.